An overcrowded migrant workers’ building in the Mangaf area, south of Kuwait City, caught fire on the morning of June 12, killing 49 migrants, most of them Indian workers. More than 50 others have been injured several of whom are in critical condition. The names of the deceased have not been released.

As per local media, firefighters and forensic personnel are currently searching the building for more bodies, and the death toll could increase. The six-story building was housing 196 workers. Witnesses reported that some workers jumped from high floors to escape. One migrant died instantly after his head hit the edge of the balcony.

In a widely circulated video, a company official, questioned by Interior Minister Fahad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah, states that all the residents are employed by the same company that owns the building. The Interior Minister added that the incident happened “as a result of the greed of the company and building owners.”...

Across Kuwait and other GCC States, many migrant workers reside in overcrowded buildings or company accommodations that lack adequate safety and hygiene measures. Consequently, incidents such as fires, gas cylinder explosions, and building collapses are not uncommon.

While the Gulf States have codes for workers’ accommodation, these regulations are poorly enforced. The situation is even more complex for migrant workers whose employers do not provide housing. These workers must rent accommodations independently, and the buildings they occupy are not subject to the same laws and inspection mechanisms typically applied to labour camps.

The Kafala system and the social exclusion faced by migrant workers in Kuwait further disempower them from raising complaints about dangerous housing conditions or organizing for better working and living conditions...

Given that NBTC is a major construction contractor in Kuwait’s national oil and gas sector, it remains to be seen whether the company’s owners will be held criminally liable or if the blame will be shifted to a building manager instead, giving the owners and the state and private clients a free pass...